Addiction, Abuse, and How You Can Make a Difference

If you’ve read my blog before, and I hope you have, then you know that I spent 10 years of my life living in an abusive marriage. I cannot remember how much I have told you drugs and alcohol addiction played a part in the abuse, but it did. A big part, although the abuse in my marriage would have occurred even if my husband was not a user; he grew up around alcoholism and abuse, so that is what he knew. That is not an excuse mind you. Lots of people grow up in that type of situation and do not end up breaking things, kicking their wives, punching them, holding guns to their wives heads, choking them when they are pregnant, kicking them in the stomach when they are pregnant, etc. You know a lot of it already. My point here is that in my case, as in many, addiction played a role both indirectly and directly.

I received a comment on my “Who am I” page the other day from a gentleman named Nick Peterson. He is a filmmaker from Los Angeles and along with John Heder another filmmaker (you might know him as the actor from Napoleon Dynamite, Blades of Glory, Benchwarmers, When in Rome, and various other films as well as the voice talent in Monster House and Surf’s Up). They are working on a project that is going to be phenomenal and oh so important.

Here is how Nick explained it to me…

“This soon to be produced animated film tells the powerful story of a woman gradually crushed by the destructive forces of an abusive relationship. We firmly believe that drug abuse, alcohol, and pornography addiction can break down individuals and tear families apart. We hope this film will raise public consciousness and serve as a cautionary tale, shedding light on the cumulative effects of abuse and encouraging those in an abusive relationship to seek help before it is too late.”

Go to their Kickstarter page and check it out. They have an explanation of what the film is going to be about and a video explanation with a sample of what the animation will look like. My first thought on reading it was animated was, “a cartoon about abuse, really?” It’s not like that though, it’s amazing, and I really encourage you to check it out!

Producing a film like this is expensive, as I had always imagined, but never really given much thought to. We’re not talking million dollar budgets, but quite a lot to come up with. That’s where people like us come in, those who know the importance of reaching people with the message of how addiction and abuse destroy people. Nick and John are raising the funds in a unique and innovative way! They are using what is called “crowdsource funding”. They are using a website called Kickstarter where people can become involved and help them with their costs for as little as $1! Yes, $1.00!!! The idea is that through small donations from many people the funding for such an important project will be achieved, what an awesome idea! Of course, you are welcome to offer more if you can, there are various funding levels and with those you can get production credit on the film and other things, but that isn’t the point of Kickstarter, or why Nick and John are doing this. They are making this film to show the effects abuse and addiction have on individuals and families.

If you are concerned about how your contribution will be used, there is a detailed explanation on their Kickstarter page, toward the bottom. It explains the costs that go into a project like this, and what they will be doing with the funding. Another thing about the funding and Kickstarter… they have a limited amount of time to reach their goal. Kickstarter does not charge you until the end of the time period for the project, if the project does not get fully funded, that is if they do not reach their goal for funding, then you will not be charged.

If you are concerned with the security or just have questions about what Kickstarter is and how it works here is their FAQ, it really is a unique idea and they are the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world.

Please take just a moment to look at what Nick and John are trying to do; read about it, watch the video, and consider taking part in it. If you cannot afford to contribute, commit to pray for the film, that they will get the funding to produce it, for the success of it, that it will change lives and impact people.